More Atlantic Ice Islands

Apr 21, 2017

by Tim Queeney

NOAA photo

If you're crossing the North Atlantic this spring via the northern route, you'd be advised to get an ice chart from the International Ice Patrol. That's because there are plenty of icebergs sailing southeast through the Davis Strait into the Labrador Sea and then into the North Atlantic. According to the International Ice Patrol, North Atlantic waters near Newfoundland are seeing larger numbers of icebergs than normal in April. The Ice Patrol's April 17, 2017 report states: "As of 17 April 2017, 648 icebergs have been sighted south of 48° N in the transatlantic shipping lanes. On average 212 icebergs drift south of this latitude by the end of April based on data collected between 1900 and 2016."

So there are 436 more icebergs south of 48° N then is normally the case in an average year. See the accompanying chart of iceberg locations. There are plenty of the big white ice islands out there.